Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Throughout his lengthy career, critically-acclaimed singer/songwriter Martyn Joseph has consistently offered up deeply poignant and poetic acoustic songs that challenge the listener's thinking on important issues and his latest album is no exception. Delivered with trademark gravelly passion, the relatively upbeat "I Searched For You" sets the scene for an album that sees Joseph reference matters of faith perhaps more than he's done on an album for quite some while with tracks like "Are You Ready?" and the nostalgic "Land Of Evermore" pointing towards spirituality without ever being too direct or specific. As ever, the Welsh songsmith is not afraid to go deeper still with the likes of "Girl Soldier" with its war-torn setting and "Bobby" - a satisfyingly cryptic message to an assassinated Kennedy - both requiring repeat runs in order to even begin to get the point. In the past, Joseph's output has often been accused of being maudlin and, whilst it's true that this release has its fair share of downbeat numbers, proceedings never get introspective and relatively airy pieces like "The Light Of Guatemala" and "Cherry Blossom Girl" add some light to the shade - the latter even seeing Joseph break out the ukulele and just about get through a whistling solo unscathed as if to prove that he's mellowed with age. The sublime tribute to his mother "Her Name Is Rose" proves that Joseph is still at the top of his game.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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